Wings of the Falling
by Lunar Xerneas
Summary: Kirby is growing up; and with that, many new things are bound to happen to him and to those around him. When he finds out he's going to be growing wings, he is ecstatic and eager to take to the skies. However, fate has a different plan for him when his life takes a dark turn that no one saw coming. Cover drawn by me (Lunar-Xerneas on DeviantART)!
1. Chapter 1

Today was a good day in Dreamland. It had been just like any other; calm, peaceful, and fun. For many years since the downfall of Nightmare, that had been the case. Every day was full of peace and tranquility, something that the citizens cherished and hoped would never end.

And it wouldn't end, at least not for them, not for a long time. The peace was well earned, and would hopefully last for many years to come.

For Kirby, however, things were different.

As Kirby grew older, his maturity, as well as his curiosity grew leaps and bounds. He began to question who he was, what he was, what his purpose was now that Nightmare was gone. He was of a species that was very different from anything seen in Dreamland, if not the entirety of his planet, maybe even the whole galaxy! The only other person even close to his species was his mentor, Meta Knight, and even they had many differences between one another. Such as wings, for example.

Kirby had asked about how his mentor had gotten his wings, though all Meta Knight would say was that it was a 'unexpected surprise' that came to most of their species. That answered the question of whether he and his mentor were of the same species, but it still made the child curious. Would he ever grow wings?

His question would be answered eventually, as Meta Knight told him. He would definitely know if he was to grow wings. What would be have to look for? He recalled Meta Knight telling him some symptoms and what to look for, but what they were, he drew a complete blank… especially today, Kirby felt himself growing more and more distracted.

"Kirby? Kiiiirby?"

Kirby blinked, being dragged back out of his thoughts and looked up at Fumu, who gave him a look. She didn't look very amused at his zoning out.

"Were you listening to me?" She asked, tapping her fingers on the book she was holding. "You know you need to work on your speaking." In the years following Nightmare's downfall, Fumu too had grown and matured drastically. She had gotten much taller, and her hair, which was still held up in a ponytail, was much longer.

"Sorry, Fumu…" Kirby mumbled, his voice still slightly slurred from learning how to speak properly. Even though nearly decade had passed since the fall of Nightmare, Kirby was still learning how to speak in a regular manner. He knew how to speak, yes, but his voice still had that child-like slur and he still spoke at a speed that made his words sound smushed together like a sandwich. He was definitely improving, though, as he was a very fast learner, and growing up around more intelligent figures such as Fumu and Meta Knight definitely helped him in that regard.

"You've been getting very distracted today, Kirby. You're normally very eager to learn. Is something wrong?"

Kirby looked towards the setting sun in thought. He wasn't sure what was going on, he just felt more… distracted than usual. All the little details that dotted the courtyard of Castle Dedede, like that very fuzzy little bee hopping from flower to flower in search of nectar, a stray leaf falling from a tree as a breeze blew past, it made all his focus go into those small things. He felt… _off_. He wasn't sure why.

"I dunno," Kirby responded with a shrug. "I'm… very distracted today."

"Is there something in particular that's bothering you today?" Fumu asked gently, closing the book she was holding.

"I dunno," he repeated, looking down at the ground in slight shame. "I think… I might not have gotten enough sleep?"

"You slept in this morning, more than you usually do. Are you sick?" The blonde looked rather concerned now, feeling Kirby's forehead.

Kirby shook his head, gently pushing Fumu's hand away. "I'm fine. Maybe I'll go to bed early tonight," he murmured, yawning a bit. "I'm sorry I didn't make much progress today…"

"You're doing fine, Kirby. You're speaking just fine to me right now, you just gotta remember not to smush all your words together."

"I know… it's hard though," Kirby mumbled.

"You'll get it eventually. You're doing fine." Fumu got up and wiped her usual attire, a green and pink dress, before smiling at Kirby. "It's about time for dinner, would you like to have dinner with us tonight?"

Kirby smiled wide at the thought of food. "That sounds great!" Food would definitely help him feel better!

* * *

Despite the fact that Kirby was known for eating large amounts of food, often eating enough to feed a whole family in one sitting, tonight was different.

"Kirby, honey, why haven't you eaten your food?" Memu, Fumu's mother, had asked at the dinner table.

Kirby poked as his food, a very high quality steak with his fork, staring into nothing. He felt his mind drifting to thoughts unknown even to him, heavily distracting him. He didn't feel hungry. The thought of food made him feel queasy. But _why?_ He was excited about having food not even an hour ago! _What was going on?_

"Kirby?"

The child looked up, a small frown creasing his lips. "I'm sorry… I'm not hungry…" He muttered, poking at his food a bit more.

Bun, Fumu's younger brother, couldn't help but snicker. "Did I hear that right? _Kirby? Not hungry?_ I never thought I'd hear that in my life!" in the years since Nightmare's defeat, Bun had grown a lot as well, though he still had that habit of covering his eyes with his hair, which had grown a bit in the back. His maturity, however, hadn't changed much at all. He smirked at Kirby, continuing to laugh as the younger one looked away in embarrassment.

"Bun, be nicer to Kirby! Try to remember your manners!" Memu scolded her son. She looked back at Kirby, giving him a soft, concerned look. "Fumu told me you were acting strange today. Are you sure nothing is bothering you, dear?"

"I dunno…" He mumbled quietly, his gaze shifting downward in shame. "I'm sorry I wasted your food…"

"Don't be, dear! We can always save it for tomorrow if you're hungry then."

Fumu frowned at Kirby, pushing her plate aside. "Do you want me to walk you home, Kirby?" She asked.

Kirby thought about it for a second before nodding. "Yeah…" He slowly got up, yawning and stretching as he followed Fumu out of the apartment.

"Kirby, are you really sure there isn't something going on that I'm not aware of?"

"I'm really sure… I don't know what's wrong, but I'm sure I'll get over it when I get some sleep."

The walk to Kirby's dome house was completely silent after that, though Kirby could feel Fumu's concerned stare poking at his skin. He almost felt guilty for not feeling well, especially without a good reason.

But _why?_ Why was he unable to eat? Unable to think straight? It didn't make any sense… did he eat something bad recently? No… not much can make him sick. Was he not getting enough sleep? That couldn't be it, he always slept like a rock. He couldn't think of a single thing that he had done outside of his usual daily routine that could have caused his strange behavior, and it was bothering him _a lot._

By the time Kirby had snapped back out of his thoughts, he had already arrived at his home.

"Well… goodnight, Kirby," Fumu murmured as Kirby opened the door to his small home. "I hope you feel better tomorrow."

"I hope so too," Kirby replied sleepily. "I just need some sleep, is all… goodnight."

Fumu smiled softly before turning back to walk home. Kirby waved for a moment before walking into his home and shutting the door behind him, letting loose a loud sigh as he fell onto his bed.

Kirby yawned and cuddled up to his pillows and tucking himself beneath the warm, soft covers. He didn't like being heavily distracted, not hungry… he hated it. It wasn't like him. He hoped that this whole ordeal would be solved by the morning, and he would be back to his usual self soon.

Little did he know that something big; something life-changing, was soon to transpire.


	2. Chapter 2

Four days.

It had been four days.

Kirby opened his eyes that morning, the sun shining in them and making his head throb in a dull, uncomfortable pain. Had he fallen asleep? He couldn't remember.

Kirby hadn't been able to sleep or eat much of anything throughout these few days, and the lack of both was definitely taking a negative toll on him. He really wanted to just stay in bed, but if he did, people would definitely worry!

Throughout those four days, Kirby had tried his best to pretend that everything was okay, and he was doing a relatively good job at it. The townsfolk of Pupu Village hadn't suspected a thing. However, today Kirby felt like all of what was making him sick, had amplified to the point of him being hardly able to move. He was so tired...

With a grunt, Kirby forced himself to sit up, now realizing that he had sweat a lot during the night, his body shivering from the cold sensation of his sweat meeting the air around him. He sat there for a while, staring at the wall and contemplating on whether he should get up now or later, before letting out a groan when he remembered that he had to meet his mentor, Meta Knight, today.

"Why me…?" Kirby let out, his voice slurred even more than normal from his sheer exhaustion as he slowly crawled out of his bed, not even bothering to fix the messed up blankets. He shuffled his way out the door, attempting to stretch his arms as a cool breeze blew past, only for an odd, pricking pain to shoot up his spine, making him hiss and groan rather loudly.

Whatever was happening to him, he hoped and prayed that it would end soon.

Kirby shuddered, forcing his feet to move as he took a few steps forward, beginning his slow and painful trek to the castle. He had to get over this pain quickly, the last thing he wanted to do was to explain to his mentor that he was feeling like death incarnate.

It was a beautiful day today, as the sun was peeking out of the clouds, warming up the otherwise cool autumn day. If Kirby wasn't ill, he would have taken much more time to look at the scenery, but he couldn't look at the bright sky for long without his head beginning to throb, so he stuck with staring at the ground as he walked.

 _Just focus on other things,_ Kirby thought, trying to distract himself from the aches and pains shooting through his body. _That rock looks shiny._ He stopped and picked up said rock that he found. It was just a plain old rock, but it had a slight sparkle on the white surface that helped distract him for a few moments before his head began to hurt some more, making him drop the rock on his foot.

"Ow!" He cried, angrily glaring at the rock that he had dropped on the ground. "Stupid rock. I hate you."

Without waiting for the rock to respond (not that it would anyway), he continued to trudge along the road towards the castle. Hopefully, Meta Knight would go easy on him in his training today.

* * *

Meta Knight stood alone, watching the road leading to the castle for his student to arrive.

 _It's not like Kirby to be late,_ he thought, wrapping his cape tighter around himself as a cool breeze blew past. He began to wonder if his student was feeling okay.

It didn't take much effort to notice something was off about Kirby these past few days. While the teen was able to hide whatever it was he was hiding from the citizens of Pupu Village, Meta Knight could read him like an open book. Something was bothering him. Something was wrong; but what it was, Meta Knight wasn't sure.

After a while, Meta Knight noticed Kirby in the distance, walking slowly along the road. It was no wonder his student was late; he was walking so slowly, and he was stopping every now and then to catch his breath.

The elder watched carefully as his student approached, hopping down from the ledge he was standing on to the ground below when Kirby entered the castle.

When Kirby finally made it to the courtyard, Meta Knight could easily tell that something was very off with him. He looked terribly exhausted, his normally bright azure eyes dull and near lifeless. He had dark circles under his eyes, showing how exhausted he was.

As soon as Kirby caught Meta Knight watching him, he immediately perked up, faking a smile. "Hey, Meta," he greeted, walking closer to his mentor.

"Good morning, Kirby… or I should say, afternoon. May I ask why you were late?"

The teen looked away, his smile fading a bit. "Sorry about that… I accidentally slept in. It won't happen again." His voice was weary and slurred more than usual, though Meta Knight could tell that his student was trying to hide it.

"It's fine. Now, I want to ask what you're trying to hide. You're visibly exhausted."

Kirby gave his mentor a look, blinking in surprise. "Hiding? I'm not hiding anything. I'm fine."

"Kirby."

"I said I'm fine…" He lied again, wincing when another twinge of pain shot across his back.

Meta Knight frowned a bit. He knew that his student was lying, but he decided not to push the subject. "Fine, then pick up the sword I left for you and let us begin." He gestured towards the sword he left for Kirby, carefully observing his student's sluggish movements as he went to grab it.

Kirby picked up the sword, trying his best to keep his composure as his exhaustion was starting to become overwhelming. He blinked away the fog in his vision and got into a battle stance. He would not disappoint his mentor!

"Alright. We're going to work on your offense, today. We've been focusing on defense for a while, it's time to refresh your memory."

Kirby nodded. He could do this.

"Try to attack me, then." Meta Knight unsheathed his sword, Galaxia.

Kirby raised his sword and immediately charged at his mentor, swiping the blade at the elder. However, the attack was easily blocked, so he continued to swipe in various directions, trying to whittle down his mentor's defense.

Meta Knight noticed Kirby's attacks were a lot weaker and slower than they normally were. With a sigh, he broke his defense and swiped at his student, knocking the sword clean out of his paw with a loud, metallic clang. He then proceeded to quickly move behind Kirby, slapping the flat of the blade against his back to knock him off balance.

What Meta Knight didn't expect from the blow, however, was for his student to let out a loud scream of pain.

Kirby collapsed to the ground on his side, his back stinging and throbbing as though he were brutally stabbed, letting out choked cries of agony. Oh sweet, merciless Nova, it hurt so much…! What was happening to him?!

Alarmed at Kirby's reaction, Meta Knight quickly sheathed Galaxia and went to his student's side. "Kirby, are you alright?" He asked, frowning deeply when he noticed that Kirby was crying from the pain, his body trembling like a leaf.

"N-n-no…" He choked out. "O-oh, Nova, w-what did you do…?"

Meta Knight looked at Kirby's back; it was only slightly reddened from the slap of his blade, it didn't seem like any damage was done to it. He gently touched his student's back, tensing heavily when he felt something under the skin. _Could it be…?!_

"T-that hurts stop it…!"

Meta Knight immediately drew his hand back, instead placing it gently on Kirby's forehead. The teen had a raging fever, making the skin hot to the touch. No wonder he was so exhausted… if Meta Knight had known this was happening, he would have come to his student's aid much sooner!

"Ungh… gah…" the teen opened his eyes halfway, wheezing as he forced himself into a sitting position. "Meta, I'm sorry," he let out. "I didn't want you to worry… I thought it was just a fever..."

"Kirby, what's going on is a lot more than just a fever. Can you stand?" Meta Knight felt his thoughts swirling about in his head in alarm.

 _This shouldn't be happening now, it's much too early! Even for Kirby!_

"I-I think so…" With his mentor's help, Kirby slowly got to his feet. "What's going on…? Do you know why…?"

"Why what?"

Kirby looked away in shame. "I haven't been able to sleep… or eat… for days… my back hurts…"

Meta Knight put a hand on where his forehead would be under his mask. Of course Kirby wouldn't come to him with this sort of issue, he wouldn't normally get this close and personal about Kirby being merely ill, but _this_... "Let's get you to my quarters. Come on."

"You didn't… nngh…" Darkness swirled around his vision, trying to urge him to sleep. Slowly, Kirby was giving in to the pull, and his legs gave out from beneath him within the first few steps he took. He tried one last feeble attempt at fighting the darkness before it consumed him, lulling him to sleep.

* * *

"...Kir...by…"

Kirby's eyes slowly opened. Though his vision was rather fuzzy at first, he could make out the dark shape of his mentor standing over him. What happened…? He was laying in a bed on his side, wrapped in blankets. There was a dull throbbing on his back, and his head felt like it was going to explode.

"Can you hear me?" Meta Knight asked gently, voice soft.

Kirby silently nodded, closing his eyes again and wincing as his head throbbed even more at the action. "Hurts," he let out, his voice dry and raspy.

"I know, Kirby," Meta Knight responded, gently touching Kirby's back as though he were feeling for something, humming in thought. "Hmm…"

"Meta… do you know what's going on…?"

"I think I have a plausible theory." Meta Knight moved his hand to Kirby's forehead, checking the temperature. "Fever, loss of appetite, restlessness, back pains…"

"So you know…?" Kirby was growing irritated at his mentor's lack of answers, gripping the blankets that he was wrapped in.

"Kirby... do you remember when I told you how I got my wings?"

Kirby blinked in confusion, staring at his mentor with exhausted eyes. "I… I think so…?" What did his mentor growing wings have to do with this…?

"Do you remember what happened to me?"

"You got sick… I think…? T-then the wings came out of your back… or something…" Kirby let out a groan of pain when the throbbing in his back began to intensify. "But… you were an adult… what does it have to do with me…?"

"Kirby, I assume you understand that you were forced to fight demon beasts and defeat Nightmare at a very young age, correct?"

"Y-yeah…?"

"And because of that, you are maturing at a much, much faster rate than what is normal for our species. For me, it took nearly a hundred years to grow my wings… and you're only about thirteen years old, yes?"

Kirby closed his eyes, nodding his head.

"What I'm trying to say, Kirby… what's happening to you right now, is that you are growing your wings."

Kirby's eyes shot wide open at those words. He stared at his mentor in disbelief, trying to sit up. "What?!" He regretted yelling, as his head began to throb mercilessly. "Nngh…!"

"Lay back down, Kirby. It's best if you stay quiet and still during this process." Meta Knight gently eased Kirby back down, making sure to keep his voice soft. "You need to save your energy for when the wings start coming… speaking of energy, you need to eat something, too."

Kirby grimaced at the thought of food, his stomach churning. "Please don't make me eat…"

"Kirby, you haven't eaten in days. If you don't have the energy for your wings to grow, your condition could become critical."

"But…"

"No buts. I have some fruit that you can eat, and some grain cereal. It will help you, I promise."

Kirby let out a long groan of protest as Meta Knight left the room, burying his face in the pillows. His back was still throbbing, and his head felt like it was being stabbed with a hot knife. Though he couldn't help but feel a bit of excitement now that he understood why he was suffering the way he was.

 _Wings… am I really growing wings…?_ Kirby closed his eyes and tried to imagine himself with big, strong wings like Meta Knight's. Were they going to be bat wings like his mentors? Could their species have more than one kind of wing type? What color would they be? Would learning to fly be difficult? Easy?

As Kirby was lost amidst his excited thoughts, he didn't notice Meta Knight enter the room, a bowl in his hands.

"Kirby."

The teen jumped a bit at the sudden appearance of his mentor. "O-oh... um…" He eyed the cereal with distaste, frowning deeply.

"You need to try to eat this, Kirby. It'll give you the energy needed for what's soon to happen."

Kirby slowly nodded, grunting in pain as he sat up, shuddering a bit at the food as it was handed to him. "Nnnn… don't want to, though…"

"Try to eat some of it, okay? You need it." Meta Knight sighed, watching as Kirby slowly ate the cereal. "You'll feel better when you have something in your system."

Kirby ate the cereal very slowly, trying not to gag every time he swallowed. He knew that his mentor was right, that he needed to eat food to have the proper energy for what was to come. He stirred the cereal with his spoon, giving the food a distasteful look before continuing to eat. Eventually, Kirby finished the food, face pale, and Meta Knight took the bowl.

"You feeling okay?" He asked his student, who gave him a look.

"Yeah, if you mean feeling like your head's gonna explode, your back is being poked with hot needles and like you're gonna throw up, then I feel _just peachy."_

Meta Knight sighed and rolled his eyes. "I suppose I'll let that one slide. I was ornery and cranky during my Winging, too."

"'Winging'? There's a term for it?"

"It's what it was called, back when I was young. It's what our kind calls the process."

Kirby looked up at his mentor, now very curious. Meta Knight hardly talked about his past, and Kirby always wanted to soak up the information like a sponge whenever his mentor talked about it. "Did you have any friends of our species?" He asked.

Meta Knight let out a small chuckle. "Of course I did… in fact, there was one in particular I remember… rather fondly."

"What was their name?"

Meta Knight's eyes flashed green for a brief moment. "It's been so many years… but I still remember. His name was Galacta. We entered the GSA together, and fought many battles together. However… we were separated from one another long ago, and I fear he has passed on."

"Oh…" Kirby's gaze shifted downward. "I'm sorry."

The elder straightened up, humming in thought. "Hm… I think you should get some rest. Given your state now, I would guess that your wings will be coming in within the next twelve hours. Be ready."

Kirby nodded, now realizing that he felt utterly exhausted. "Yeah… okay." He yawned, rubbing his eyes as his mentor helped him lay back down.

"I will check on you periodically. You must call for me if your back starts to hurt more than it already does. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Meta."

"Good. Now get some rest. I'll be in the other room if you need me." With that, Meta Knight made sure he had the now empty bowl that Kirby ate out of before leaving the room, shutting the door most of the way behind him, leaving Kirby alone in the darkness.

Meta Knight let out a sigh after he left the room, walking towards the kitchen to put the bowl in the sink before he heard the door to his quarters open, revealing his other two students, Sword and Blade.

"Good evening, sir." The two greeted simultaneously, saluting as their mentor put the bowl in the sink, rinsing it off.

"Good evening. Now, I have something important to tell you two." The elder walked towards them, wrapping himself up in his cape. "Kirby is in the guest room right now, resting."

"Kirby?" Blade seemed interested, now.

"Why? Did something happen to him?" Sword asked.

Meta Knight nodded. "Indeed. I believe I have told you two about how I got my wings, yes?"

"Yes, sir," Sword replied, crossing his arms. "Is Kirby…?"

"Yes, Kirby is going through his Winging."

"Isn't Kirby… a little young for that, though?" Blade asked, tilting his head slightly in confusion. "You said it was something that happened to adults of your species, didn't you?"

"Yes, it is normally something adults go through, which is why I'm very concerned for his health." His voice got lower for that statement, to make sure the teen wouldn't possibly hear. "He is much too young for this process, I fear there may be some… complications."

"What kind of complications, sir?" Sword asked, his voice also getting softer.

"I fear that his body may not be able to handle the sudden growth, as he's not yet fully matured. There are many things that could go wrong… however, despite this, I want all of us to be optimistic about this situation, no matter the result."

"Kirby's a strong kid," Sword added, chuckling a bit. "I think he'll tough it out just fine."

"Yeah, Kirby's wings are gonna be great… what kind of wings is he gonna get, anyway? Will they be like yours?" Blade seemed rather interested in this question.

"We won't know until they've come out. Our species has been known to grow many different kinds of wings; feathered wings, butterfly wings, fairy wings, or bat wings like mine."

"That's cool, your species is very… unique."

Meta Knight chuckled a bit at that statement. "Unique, indeed." He tightened his cape around himself, eyeing his students carefully. "Now… I know you two just got back from patrol, but I wish for you to inform Fumu and her family of Kirby's condition."

"What about Dedede?" Blade asked.

"He could make this a problem, that's for sure…" Meta Knight's eyes turned green in thought. "Try to make sure he doesn't find out. The last thing Kirby needs is Dedede breathing down his neck."

"Yes, sir," both of them saluted again before leaving the quarters once more.

Meta Knight loosened his tightened posture as soon as they left, walking over to his favorite chair and sitting down in it.

 _Kirby…_

He couldn't help but be very concerned and think about his youngest student. _His wings… I can only pray that they grow correctly. I hope he's prepared for what's to come. He'll need to learn to care for his wings, fly with them…_

The elder closed his eyes. Teaching his student to fly without the help of his inhaling capabilities or his Warpstar would be difficult. He could only hope that Kirby was ready.


	3. Chapter 3

"Meta! _METAA **-AAHHH!"**_

Meta Knight had nearly spilled the piping hot tea he was drinking when Kirby's pain-filled screams echoed across the castle in the middle of the night. Quickly gathering back his composure, he set the cup down and hurriedly made his way to the room that his student was resting, not caring that his mask was off.

Even with the dim light that was illuminating the room, Meta Knight could see what was going on clearly. The teen was writhing in agony, blood running down his back in burning crimson rivulets down his skin and onto the sheets beneath him. His paws were desperately clawing at the sheets to channel his pain to something, and his azure eyes were open wide with tears running down his fever-reddened face.

Meta Knight felt his heart jump at the sight, and he was at his student's side in an instant. "Kirby, you need to calm down, take deep breaths," his voice didn't seem to make it to Kirby, as his squirming and loud cries of pain didn't seem to let up even a little. Meta Knight looked around for a moment before he grabbed his student's paws, which gripped his so harshly that it almost hurt. "Kirby, listen to me," he made sure to keep eye contact with Kirby as he stared at him, his screaming fading to short, labored breaths. "I know you're in a lot of pain right now-"

" _-Ithurtsmakeitstop…"_ Kirby interrupted, his face beginning to grow pale as the pain was making him nauseated. "Meta, it hurts…"

"I know, Kirby. You need to take deep breaths. Breathe in."

Kirby tried his hardest to inhale as deeply as he could, which ended in him letting out another loud, piercing screech as his body convulsed and twitched in agony. Two small stubs were poking out of his back at this point, blood flowing freely from the wounds that they had created.

Meta Knight remained calm, however. He cringed a bit when the two stubs twitched, making a bit more blood come out of the wounds in Kirby's back. The sheets beneath him were getting soaked in the hot, red liquid. He was happy he had only used old, unneeded sheets for Kirby to lay in. "You're doing great, Kirby. I can see the wings. It's going to be okay."

Kirby closed his eyes, panting heavily. The pain he was feeling was so unbearable, it was as if someone was taking a dull, burning, acid-soaked blade and slowly carving into his back. This kind of pain was near unmeasurable, and he knew he was going to lose the food he had eaten earlier from the overwhelming amount of suffering he felt. "M-Meta… I-I'm gonna throw up…!"

Meta Knight quickly got up and grabbed a bucket he had left in the room for this very reason, making sure Kirby had his face in it before looking away, hearing Kirby's retching as he threw up into the bucket.

It was at that moment, when he heard a familiar voice calling from the door.

"Sir Meta Knight! What's going on?!" it was Fumu, and she sounded terrified. "Open up!"

Meta Knight let out an exasperated sigh, making sure Kirby had finished throwing up before setting the bucket aside. "Kirby, Fumu is here, do you want to see her?" He asked gently as his student trembled violently.

Kirby nodded, his eyes half-closed and his breathing deep and heavy. "Please," he rasped, groaning loudly as his back twitched and shuddered again.

Meta Knight quickly left the room, grabbing his mask and putting it back on his face before opening the door to his quarters, being met with a horrified looking Fumu and an exhausted looking Bun.

"Meta Knight, I can hear Kirby screaming, what the heck is happening in there?!" Even though she was panicked, she looked exhausted as well, her long blonde hair loose and covering her shoulders and upper arms in a blonde, tangled mess.

"Is it the thing Sword and Blade told us about…?" Bun asked tiredly, still seeming to be half asleep. "Kirby's 'Winging' or something?"

"Yes, Bun. I'll let you two in, but I want both of you to remain calm when you see Kirby. There's quite a bit of blood-"

"Blood?!" Despite now being nearly an adult, Fumu still had a bad habit of panicking when it wasn't necessary. It didn't help that the sight of blood terrified her.

"Sis, please don't shout…" Bun mumbled, rubbing his eyes beneath his hair.

"I will explain Kirby's Winging if you quiet down and calm yourself," the elder put a finger in front of his face to shush them. "The last thing Kirby needs is people panicking and yelling around him. Do you understand?"

The two nodded their heads, and Fumu looked away, flustered.

"Alright. Sword and Blade are on the midnight patrol, and should be arriving back shortly. Come in." Meta Knight quietly let the two into his quarters before shutting the door behind them. "I want you two to understand that the Winging process is extremely painful-"

" _ **A-AAHHHH!"**_ Kirby let out another loud scream from in the room he was in, making all three of them flinch heavily.

"-so there will be quite a lot of screaming."

Fumu's face was paled already, and she seemed very concerned for Kirby. "Y-you said there was a lot of blood… Kirby's not in danger, is he? From losing too much blood?"

Meta Knight shook his head, leading the siblings to the room Kirby was in. "Our species actually has a lot more blood than it seems, given our rather small size. It will look like a lot that has been spilt, but Kirby's far from being in danger of losing too much blood, so please don't panic when you see the mess."

Kirby looked at his friends as they entered the room. He was short of breath and his face was covered in tears. "H-hey…" He breathed, his voice weary.

Fumu couldn't help but let out a gasp at the sight of the bloody mess that was Kirby's back, quickly making her way towards his bedside and kneeling so she was at eye level with him. "Kirby, are you okay…?" She asked softly, trying her hardest to remain calm and quiet.

"N-not really… but I will be…" Kirby murmured, grunting loudly when his back twitched. "It hurts a lot, Fumu…"

"I know, Kirby… is this what was bothering you these past few days…?"

Kirby nodded, looking behind Fumu as Bun and Meta Knight also came to his bedside. "Hey, Bun…"

"That really does look painful, Kirby," Bun said, kneeling beside his sister. "I hope that this… Wingling or whatever it's called, is quick."

"Sir Meta Knight, how long does this process usually take?" Fumu asked, looking at the elder knight worriedly. "Is this why Kirby had gotten sick?"

"Kirby's body has been preparing for the Winging for almost a week, which explains why he was acting so strangely, yes. The actual growth, however, can take between seven to ten hours total."

" _Seven to ten hours…?"_ Kirby choked out, obviously not happy with that number. "Oh, sweet merciless Nova, _I'm going to die_ …"

"I wouldn't go as far as to say you'll die, but you'll definitely be weakened. You will also need a few days to recover and rest, as you're already rather ill." Meta Knight looked over to Fumu and Bun. "I hope you two understand what Kirby is going through."

"Don't worry, I think we do," Bun replied, nodding his head.

Fumu was about to say something, but before she could, Kirby suddenly convulsed violently, letting out yet another scream which rang and echoed throughout the castle walls. "Kirby?!"

"His wings are coming out further," Meta Knight urged the siblings to move away before grabbing Kirby's paws with his hands. "Okay, Kirby. I want you to channel your pain to me." His soothing voice seemed to calm Kirby down a bit, as he had stopped screaming and was just breathing very heavily with some sobs mixed in. "When another wave comes, squeeze my hands as hard as you can. Channeling the pain will help a little. Do you understand?"

Kirby nodded, fresh tears streaming down his face. "It hurts," he wheezed, gripping his mentor's hands for dear life as his back twitched. "It hurts so bad…"

"It know, Kirby. Try to distract yourself… think of something to distract you. Imagine yourself flying, okay? Tell me all about it. You're high in the air, the wind against your face…"

Kirby seemed to have gotten lost in the thought of flying, his eyes slowly drifting shut as he mumbled to himself about what it may feel like to truly fly. Despite the excruciating pain he felt, he was still very excited to learn how to fly.

When another wave of pain hit his student, Meta Knight grunted when Kirby's grip on his hands got very tight, much tighter than he anticipated. He gazed at Kirby's back as the stubs started getting longer, blood pulsing through the new, unfamiliar limbs."You're doing great, Kirby," he murmured, sighing inwardly in relief when Kirby's death grip loosened a bit.

Fumu looked over at Bun, who was looking down at his feet. "You okay, Bun?" She asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He nodded, yawning a bit. "Yeah… I'm just tired. This is all so sudden, Kirby growing wings and bleeding like that. You think he'll be okay?" it wasn't like Bun to show concern like this.

"If Sir Meta Knight says Kirby will be okay, I feel that we should believe him." She shifted her gaze over to the knight, who was still gently soothing Kirby with unheard words and letting the teen squeeze his hands with all his might when a wave of pain hit him.

It showed just how much Meta Knight cared for Kirby. Fumu had noticed years ago, that Meta Knight was slowly getting softer when he wasn't sparring with Kirby. She had noticed the two of them doing many activities together, such as large puzzles, playing cards, or simply just talking, and she knew that he had been teaching Kirby more about speaking and the world around him when she wasn't able. Perhaps Meta Knight had finally felt like he could relax after the defeat of Nightmare; and because of that, his bond with Kirby was stronger than ever. Maybe-

Fumu was pushed out of her thoughts when someone started banging on the door to Meta Knight's quarters.

"Meta Knight! Get your behind out here and explain to me what all the screaming is about!"

Great. It was King Dedede.

The large penguin king hadn't changed much in terms of his attitude. Despite the fact that he was no longer able to purchase demon beasts, he was still very eager to make a mess of things, especially for Kirby.

"Your majesty, Meta Knight needs his privacy!" that was Sword. It seemed that Sword and Blade had tried to keep the king away, and failed.

"No, I can hear Kirby in there! What's going on in there, Meta Knight?!"

Meta Knight shook his head, looking over at Fumu and Bun. "I will go see what His Majesty wants. You two keep an eye on Kirby."

The siblings nodded silently as the irritated knight let go of Kirby and left the room. He opened the door to his quarters, being met with the royal penguin himself.

"About time ya got here! I heard Kirby's screaming and I want to know what it's all about! How's a king supposed to get his sleep with all this racket?!" King Dedede crossed his arms, impatiently awaiting Meta Knight's explanation.

"Sire, what's going on with Kirby is none of your concern."

"Anything that happens in _my_ castle is _my_ business! Now tell me what's going on with-"

Kirby's piercing screams echoed across the walls again, and Meta Knight gave King Dedede an irritated glare.

"Your highness, with all due respect, I wish to keep what's happening to Kirby between him and those important to him. One would think that after all these years you would give the poor child a break."

King Dedede swallowed nervously at Meta Knight's rather angry tone of voice. An angry Meta Knight was definitely not a good Meta Knight. "Of course I'm giving the kid a break! I just wanna know why he's screaming like that!"

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out. Now, Kirby needs my support, so if you would kindly stop wasting my time, I would appreciate it. Sword, Blade."

"Y-yes, sir?" They both looked at their mentor, who gestured for them to come in.

Meta Knight let his students in, giving King Dedede another angry glare. "My patience is running thin, sire, so I would advise that you go back to bed and stay out of Kirby's business for a change." Without waiting for the king to respond, Meta Knight shut the door in his face with enough force for a rather loud slam to echo across the apartment.

Kirby gave his mentor a look as he came back in, a small smirk on his face. "Didn't think you'd do that," he rasped tiredly, rather amused.

"There's only so much patience I have, Kirby. You're more important than the king's needs at the moment." Meta Knight sighed, standing in front of Kirby once again. "How are you feeling?"

"Like death."

"I assumed so," he couldn't help but chuckle a little at Kirby's bluntness. "Do you think you can stay still while I clean you up? Your back is a mess."

Kirby nodded silently, closing his eyes and sighing in relief that the horrid pain he had felt had somewhat faded. "Meta… the pain is going away…"

"That means that the start of your Winging is complete. However, the pain will come back very soon, so you need to be ready." Meta Knight looked over at Fumu and Bun, who looked utterly exhausted. "You two. If you're tired, I suggest you go back to your apartment and rest."

"But Kirby…" Fumu yawned, despite trying very hard to hide it. "I don't want to leave him in this state..."

"Fumu, it's fine," Kirby mumbled quietly, opening his eyes back up and smiling at her faintly. "I'll be fine…"

Fumu hesitated before nodding, looking at her brother, who looked ready to pass out himself. "Come on, Bun." She gave Kirby one last concerned look before walking out of the room and out of Meta Knight's quarters with her brother close behind.

As the two walked down the now silent halls of the castle towards their own apartment, Fumu began to think about Kirby and his wings. From what she had seen of the growth, they definitely weren't insect or fairy wings. What kind would they be, though? Despite her exhaustion, she couldn't help but wonder if Kirby would be okay without her.

 _Kirby is strong,_ Fumu thought, opening the door to the apartment she and her brother lived in. _He is growing up. He doesn't always need me… I need to remember that. I just hope that he'll be okay._

* * *

"It's okay, Kirby, you're almost there. Just take deep breaths…"

Many hours had passed, and the sun was slowly crawling up the horizon. Meta Knight didn't leave Kirby's side during those hours, calmly soothing the teen as his screams slowly turned to hoarse, feeble whimpers. Kirby had screamed so much that he had lost his voice.

Kirby stared at his mentor, his eyes half-closed and glazed over in exhaustion. He was too weak to even keep his eyes open at this point, his grip on the sheets beneath him very loose. "Tired," came a breathless word without a voice from Kirby's lips. The new limbs attached to his back had twitched continuously as they grew, the process finally slowing down as small, thin and white needle-like pins grew out of them.

"Kirby, your wings. They're growing feathers," Meta Knight murmured, rubbing Kirby's warm forehead as the teen groaned in response.

"Feels weird…" Kirby mumbled, his voice hoarse and weak. "Like needles…"

"Feathers always start out like that. As soon as your body adjusts to the wings and you're more comfortable, I can help you with caring for them."

Kirby nodded, groaning again as his wings made one final push towards growth, before sweet relief began to wash over him. He let his face bury itself in the pillow he was given, his tired muscles finally relaxing. "Meta… is it finally over…?" He asked after a while, gazing up at the elder with exhausted eyes.

Meta Knight inspected the wings, taking notice that something was rather… off about them. Despite that, however, it looked like they were done growing. "I believe so, Kirby."

Kirby couldn't help but smile, weakly trying to sit up. "M-Meta, I wanna see 'em…" He groaned when his body protested his movements, his arms giving out and his face landing on the pillow with a soft thump. "Mmmnnnnhhh…" He moaned irritably, his voice muffled from the pillow.

Meta Knight chuckled a bit, helping Kirby lay in a more comfortable position. "You can see your wings after you rest. They're not very appealing to look at anyway without the feathers being fully grown."

Kirby nodded tiredly, his azure eyes brightening as he thought about his wings. "Meta… am I gonna learn how to fly…?" he asked softly, a faint smile on his face.

"Of course you will. I will teach you how to fly as soon as possible. But you must know, you'll need a while to recover, and give your wings time to develop further and grow feathers. Just rest, for now. You've earned it."

The teen nodded, his eyes slowly drifting shut as his exhaustion finally caught up to him, his paws and newly grown wings eventually going limp as he fell asleep.

As Kirby's soft, faint breathing filled the room, Meta Knight shifted his gaze over to Kirby's wings, which laid splayed out against his sides.

Something was definitely off about them, Meta Knight knew that for sure. It was then that the elder noticed just how _small_ they were. Even without feathers, the wings were abnormally small, and that greatly concerned the knight. They would have to be much larger than that in order to lift one's body off the ground. Meta Knight knew from experience that the size of the wings definitely mattered.

Despite those concerns, Meta Knight was relieved that Kirby's Winging had gone relatively smoothly, even though the sheets he was laying in were a complete mess.

 _I'll make sure Kirby gets a bath after he's rested. I'm sure that he'll be starving once he wakes up, too. His first wave of feathers are coming in quickly, too… there will be quite a lot to do._

He looked back down at Kirby's peaceful face, feeling his forehead and sighing in relief when he noticed that the teen's fever was finally breaking.

It was then that Meta Knight felt something, as though someone or something was watching them. It felt dark and heavy, making the elder narrow his eyes and lift his head. He looked around, his shoulders heavily tensing up as the presence he felt suddenly vanished. _What was that…?_ He continued to look around the room, trying to figure out what he had felt and why. After a while, he slowly looked back down at Kirby, forcing himself to relax.

Whatever it was he had felt at that moment, Meta Knight hoped he had only imagined it.


	4. Chapter 4

**It took forever to write this chapter. I'm just glad it's done. Hopefully it will be smooth sailing from here!**

* * *

Kirby slowly opened his eyes, his vision filled with bright morning light as he awoke. The young teen couldn't remember why he was in a bed that wasn't his own at first, but as he stared out the window, watching the sun crawl up the horizon, the events that transpired eventually came back to him.

His wings! He had grown wings!

At the thought of his new limbs, Kirby began to feel them on his back, a new, foreign presence that he knew would take a long time to get used to. Despite that, however, he was eager to see his new wings.

Kirby slowly got into a sitting position, noticing that the sheets were sticking to his belly rather grossly, and that his sides and belly were actually covered in old blood, making his skin stained a dark reddish brown color. He really made a mess, hadn't he… Not to mention, he was aching all over!

As Kirby slowly crawled out of bed, he felt an irritating sensation in his newly grown wings. They itched really bad! Kirby groaned, trying to reach back and itch his wings, but he couldn't reach!

"Stupid stumpy arms…!" As the teen squirmed trying to itch his wings, he felt his body slip and he fell out of bed, landing on his stomach with a gasp and a groan. He pressed his face against the cool floor, sighing in irritation. At least he didn't land on his wings...

"Kirby? What's going on in there?" Meta Knight had opened to door and walked into the room, staring at his student as he slowly lifted a paw.

"I'm alive…"

"Well, that's good to hear, at least," Meta Knight chuckled a bit, helping his student up. "It's good to see you awake. That gives me the chance to assist you in cleaning up. You're a mess."

"Tell me about it. I look like I waltzed through a hall decorated with blood and guts."

Meta Knight shook his head, not feeling pleased with the mental image of his student dancing around in a pile of gore. "I suppose, if you put it that way."

Kirby looked up at his mentor, his wings slightly quivering in anticipation. "Can I see my wings, Meta? Do you have a mirror?"

"I do have a mirror, but I would rather you get yourself cleaned up and preened before you look."

"'Preened'? What's that?"

"Right now, you only have the pins of your feathers showing. Once they're preened, the actual feather will be released."

"Oh. So right now my wings don't look very pretty, do they?"

"Honestly? No."

Kirby pouted. "Can I get cleaned up, then? My wings itch really bad…"

Meta Knight nodded his head, smirking underneath his mask. "I assumed so. In that stage, the pin feathers can be very irritating." He gently guided his student into the bathroom, noticing with amusement that the teen's wings were twitching and quivering due to being irritated and itchy.

"How do you know so much about wings, Meta? You don't have feathers…"

"When I was a lot younger, I was required to learn about wing care of all kinds. Given that our wing type can be either based on genetics or even completely random, it's best to study and learn to care for wings of all shapes and sizes." Meta Knight made his way to the bathtub, turning the water valve so that warm water would come out. "Okay, get in, Kirby."

Kirby nodded, crawling into the tub. He hissed slightly when he dipped his foot in, as the water was a little hot, but he quickly adjusted to the temperature and sighed, getting both of his feet and the rest of his body in the tub. The warm temperature felt very nice…

Meta Knight had since grabbed a cloth, which he handed to Kirby. "Wipe as much as you can down. Whatever you can't reach, I'll take care of myself."

"Okay …" Kirby got the cloth wet before he began to wipe his skin down. Since he was covered in old blood, he had to rinse the cloth off every now and then. The water was slowly turning a gross brown color as it spiraled down the drain, much to Kirby's distaste. He stuck out his tongue, making a fake, exaggerated gagging noise. "Gross…"

"You slept for over a day after your wings finished growing. The blood is rather old because of that."

Kirby looked up, surprised. "A whole day? I slept for that long?"

"Indeed. Are you done washing what you can reach?"

The teen looked himself over. His belly and most of his sides were a lot cleaner looking. "Yeah… is my back a mess?"

"It's not as bad as your belly, as I was able to wash away the blood that was there. Your wings, however, need attention. Let's get you cleaned up and situated, first…" Meta Knight drew closer to the tub, gently urging Kirby to turn so he could reach his wings. "Now, I'm going to touch your wings. Let me know if it hurts." With that, the knight gently stroked Kirby's wings, earning a shudder from the teen.

"That feels weird…" Kirby mumbled.

"It'll take a long while to get used to." Meta Knight grabbed the cloth Kirby had been using, making sure it was rinsed off and rung out before he gently cleaned Kirby's wings.

Kirby grunted, his wings twitching as the new sensation hit his body. Having two new limbs attached to his back was so strange… and yet at the same time, it felt rather… pleasant. His itching was finally beginning to cease, even if it was just a little, which greatly relieved him.

"Alright," Meta Knight had finished cleaning Kirby's wings, setting the cloth aside to be washed later. "Do you want the tub filled with water?"

"Yes, please!" Kirby immediately replied, a smile appearing on his face. "Do you have bubbles?"

"Aren't you a little old for a bubble bath?" Meta Knight chuckled softly as Kirby's wings quivered.

"No! You're never too old for bubbles!" Kirby pouted at his mentor, huffing. "Let my inner child shine through!"

"Alright, alright. King Dedede probably has some bath soap somewhere. I'll be right back." With that, Meta Knight quickly made his way out of the bathroom to search for the bubble bath.

Kirby sat down in front of the still running water, sighing before dipping his head underneath the warm water and sighing in content as it ran down his body. It felt very nice… though the healing wounds that his wings created on his back made it sting a little.

Kirby lifted his head as Meta Knight re-entered the bathroom a few minutes later, a bottle of bath soap in his hand. "What kind is it?" He asked, moving back so his mentor could plug the drain.

"Cherry blossom. I know that's your favorite." Meta Knight smirked when Kirby looked away in embarrassment.

"Didn't know you knew that…"

"It's obvious, I see your reaction to the cherry trees blossoming each year, you've tried to climb up the trees to smell the flowers."

Kirby's face flushed, and he gave his mentor a pout. "Yeah, I like cherry blossoms… can I have the bubbles now?"

Meta Knight chuckled, nodding and opening the cap for the bubble bath, pouring some next to the running water. It instantly foamed, sending a small pile of bubbles near Kirby, who gave Meta Knight a look.

"You call that a bubble bath? I want more!"

Meta Knight rolled his eyes and smirked, deciding to play along. A little fun wouldn't hurt... "You want a bubble bath? I'll give you one." With that, he opened the bottle all the way, pouring the entire contents of the bubble bath into the tub, much to Kirby's surprise. Almost instantly, the bubbles piled up into a massive wave that quickly consumed Kirby, who made a surprised squeal.

The teen was grinning, trying to uncover himself from the bubbles and giggling uncontrollably as he did so. There were so many bubbles! The sweet aroma of cherry blossoms filled his senses, sending him into a state of pure bliss and joy.

Meta Knight felt his lips twitch into a smile at Kirby's reaction to the bubbles, his heart warming up at the sight of his student's happiness. Seeing Kirby happy made him happy, and this was no exception. As soon as the tub was filled enough, he turned the water off. "Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked, continuing to smile as Kirby's face poked from the bubbles.

"Yes!" The teen grinned at his mentor, continuing to giggle as the bubbles tickled every part of his body, including his new wings. "This is the perfect amount of bubbles!"

Meta Knight shifted his gaze upwards at the steadily growing pile of foam in the tub, his eyes glowing pink with amusement.

Kirby stared at his mentor, suddenly getting an idea. A smirk slowly made its way onto the teen's face, which Meta Knight quickly noticed.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He rose an eyebrow beneath his mask, seeing Kirby's body wiggle a bit beneath the bubbles. Suddenly, he was aware of what his student was thinking. "...Don't you dare-"

"BUBBLE FIGHT!" Kirby cried out, whipping his arms forward and sending a large amount of bubbles towards Meta Knight. The foam landed all over his mask, blocking his vision and making Kirby burst out into a loud fit of laughter.

Meta Knight couldn't help but snicker, wiping the bubbles off of his mask to see that Kirby continued to laugh at him. "Very funny, Kirby." He sighed and pulled his mask off, since some of the bubbles had made it through his visor and into the inside of it. He noticed that the smirk returned to his student's face. "What, are you going to throw more at me? Give this poor old man a break!"

Kirby was so happy that his mentor was playing along, his smirk turned into another grin. He reached forward and pressed a bubble-covered paw against Meta Knight's face, quickly drawing back and laughing at his mentor's unimpressed expression.

Meta Knight was fully aware that such activities were rather immature, but he knew Kirby deserved a few moments of happiness after what had happened to him these past couple days. He ignored the bubbles on his face and reached upwards to the top of the stack of bubbles in the tub, pushing them downwards so that Kirby was once again completely submerged in them.

Kirby let out another burst of laughter, getting himself out of the bubbles and throwing more at his mentor, who began to smile and laugh a little himself. It was almost strange seeing his mentor this loose; but at the same time, seeing him happy made him even happier.

After a few minutes of throwing bubbles at one another, Meta Knight closed his eyes and sighed, wiping the suds off of him as his chuckles died down. "Alright, that's enough," he murmured, still smiling slightly. "Your wings need attention, do they not?"

Kirby was slightly disappointed, but nodded anyway. His wings were starting to itch again, now that he thought about them. How annoying…!

"We should try to drain these bubbles before anything," Meta Knight noticed Kirby's wings twitching, the teen's face growing irritated, most likely due to his wings itching. "Try finding the plug so these bubbles can go down."

As the bubbles went down the drain, Meta Knight helped Kirby rinse the remaining suds off his body by turning the water back on. Once Kirby was rinsed off, he moved the teen away from the remaining bubbles in the tub and had him stand with his back facing him. He gently touched Kirby's wings again, making the teen shiver slightly.

"That still feels weird…" Kirby mumbled, his bright azure eyes beginning to droop as he grew fatigued from playing.

"It will take a while to get used to, and preening your wings will help lessen that feeling," Meta Knight carefully observed Kirby's wings; there were dozens of pins, big and small, that needed his attention. This was going to take a while... "Now, I'm going to have to go through each individual feather and break the pins. It might feel strange, so be ready." He decided to start from the end of Kirby's right wing, taking one of the many pins and gently rubbed it , flaking off the dead pin from top to bottom and revealing the white feather beneath. "Interesting…"

"What?" Kirby's wings twitched again as Meta Knight moved on to the next feather.

"Nothing, I'm just observing your feather's color… they're white."

"White, huh…?" Kirby closed his eyes as Meta Knight worked at his feathers, humming in content. "That feels nice…"

"I'm sure it does," Meta Knight responded, making sure to be careful and gentle when preening Kirby's wings. The feathers that were released were very soft and brightly colored, meaning that they had grown in rather smoothly, which was good.

However, Meta Knight soon noticed that Kirby was severely lacking in feathers near the base, with only a few pins sticking out. The feathers that came out of said pins were small and tinted gray. This concerned him greatly, but he decided not to say anything to his student.

 _His wings are still new. Perhaps the feathers just haven't grown in there, yet. I hope…_

Kirby had long since closed his eyes, experiencing great pleasure as his wings were being taken care of. He didn't think it'd feel as good as it did, but he loved it. He couldn't even really describe it, it just felt _good._ Amidst his pleasure, Kirby found himself growing more and more exhausted, and he just wanted to lay down.

Meta Knight noticed Kirby's growing exhaustion and chuckled softly. "You look tired," he said, his misty white eyes bright with amusement as Kirby yawned and stretched, his wings and new feathers quivering at the movement.

"...Yeah…" Kirby nodded his head, his eyes staying closed as he turned towards his mentor slightly. "Can I go to bed, now?"

Meta Knight hummed in thought, looking over Kirby's wings very closely and checking for any pins he may have missed. It didn't appear that there was any, however. His wings were full of beautiful white feathers, save for those bald patches at the base… "Yes, I think you're done."

Kirby sighed in relief, rubbing his eyes and yawning again. "It feels so much better, Meta… thank you…"

"It's no problem. Now, let's get you dried off." He went to grab a towel as Kirby tiredly crawled out of the tub, standing on the floor with his eyes still half closed as mentor returned. He gently draped it over his student, who gripped it with his paws and sluggishly dried himself off.

"Hey, Meta?" Kirby lifted his face from the towel, gazing up at his mentor.

"Yes, Kirby?"

"When do you think I'll learn how to fly?"

Meta Knight smiled gently, placing a hand on top of his student's head. "It will take a while, child. You must give yourself a month or two for your wings to mature before you learn."

"Oh," Kirby looked a little disappointed with that response. "I really wanna fly again, I wish I hadn't lost my ability to float…"

Meta Knight frowned, removing his hand from Kirby's head. "Our species all lose that ability as we mature, Kirby. You'll be back in the skies again before you know it."

"I know… I just can't wait," his eyes shone with excitement, his new feathers getting slightly ruffled in anticipation. "Do you think my Copy Abilities will have new possibilities thanks to my wings? Could they change like the rest of my body does?"

"I'm sure they will. We'll have to look into that as soon as you're fully recovered. How does that sound?"

Kirby's eyes grew brighter as his excitement increased. "That's gonna be so cool! I can't wait!" Despite his eagerness, however, he yawned very deeply once again, his eyes drooping back down. "As soon as I get some sleep…"

Meta Knight nodded, helping Kirby dry off his back and wings before leading him out of the bathroom. "The sheets and blankets you used are a mess, so I'm going to get new ones, alright? Just wait here while I do that."

Kirby sat down on a chair that was nearby as his mentor took care of the old sheets, closing his eyes again. Learning how to fly sounded like so much fun… and the new possibilities he had with his Copy Ability! It was so exciting… but he was so tired…

The teen wrapped his new feathered wings around himself, humming in content due to how soft they were. He couldn't see much of them, but the feathers he could see were indeed a bright white, like Meta Knight had said.

Kirby closed his eyes, his wings still wrapped around himself as he began to doze off. He tried to stay awake until Meta Knight returned with new sheets and blankets on the bed, but found himself falling asleep regardless.

Meta Knight had returned a few moments after, smiling and chuckling softly at Kirby's sleeping form. The knight hastily put the new sheets on the bed before quietly walking over to Kirby and lifting him up. He gently set Kirby onto the bed, draping a clean blanket over him and sighing in relief that his student had stayed asleep. Now, he had a mess to clean in the bathroom…

* * *

King Dedede grumbled to himself as he trudged town the halls of his castle. He hated the fact that Kirby was in his castle! What was so important about Kirby that his highest knight completely disrespected him? Why was Kirby screaming that night? So many questions… questions that had been bothering him all day long! One of these days, he would find out!

The penguin king entered the closest bathroom, grumpily shutting the door behind him before looking over at the toilet. His eyes suddenly widened, and he looked around confusedly at what he saw.

Where had all those bubbles come from?!


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: It's about time I finished this! I didn't think this would take so long, but it did! I'm just so glad I can finally move on, to where the plot finally starts to roll in! A whole lot happened while I was in the process of writing this chapter. Thankfully it has all died down now, and I can focus a lot more on my writing and drawing!**

 **I would like to note that the end of this chapter introduces a character that I used in my recent oneshot, Withered Blossoms. They're an important character, so read that if you can!**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's not as long as the others, but I hope you like it anyways!**

* * *

"Come on, Meta! Walk faster!"

"Kawasaki's isn't going anywhere, Kirby. You can slow down a bit."

A few days had passed since Kirby's Winging. After those few days, Meta Knight thought it would be a good idea to bring his student to town to treat him to dinner before life started to go back to normal.

The two were walking down the path from Castle Dedede towards Pupu Village below. Kirby was very eager; not just to eat at Kawasaki's for the first time in what felt like millennia, but to show everyone in town his new wings. The small, white appendages were folded against Kirby's back, being ruffled by the cool autumn breeze as it blew past. Of course, Kirby kept pelting his mentor with questions.

"Do you think they'll like my wings? What will they think of them? Ooh, I can't wait!" Kirby grinned happily, his wings flapping slightly in excitement.

Meta Knight chuckled at Kirby's enthusiasm, keeping himself wrapped in his cape as they walked. "Yes, Kirby, I'm sure everyone will like your wings."

"I hope so! I'm so excited! It's gonna be a while before I can fly, but when I do, I could help everyone out much more than I could before!"

Meta Knight felt his lips twitch into a small smile. He knew Kirby loved to help out the villagers, despite the fact that it was usually the same chores he had to do for them.

The town itself hadn't changed too much in the past ten years; no, everything was just about the same, save for a few new members of certain Cappy families , a few new buildings, and the starting construction of a school that Fumu herself was looking over and working towards. Fumu always had a thirst for knowledge and spreading it among those around her, a school was the perfect idea for her passion, and all the townsfolk happily agreed.

As expected, the village was lively as ever, with all of the townsfolk hurrying off to their daily tasks, mingling with one another, going about their everyday lives. Some of the villagers seemed to notice Kirby and Meta Knight's presence, as they stopped to stare at them as they made their way down the street.

"What's that on Kirby's back?"

"It's a rare sight to see Meta Knight in town!"

"Has Kirby been with Meta Knight for these past few days? That'd explain why he's been gone for a while…"

Kirby shifted his gaze over to Meta Knight, who had his cape tightly wrapped around himself, seeming to be slightly shrinking beneath all the stares. "You okay, Meta?" He asked quietly.

"I'm fine, Kirby," Meta Knight replied, chuckling softly. "I'm just not fond of being stared at. It'd be best if we move along to Kawasaki's."

"Right." With that, the two fell silent and mad ether way to the restaurant. Luckily it wasn't too busy today, with only Kawasaki and one other Cappy couple, Honey and Iro, in the building.

As the two entered, Iro looked over from Honey and smiled, waving. "Hey, Kirbs! How have you been?" He asked as the two sat at the table beside them.

"I told you to quit calling me Kirbs…" Kirby mumbled before grinning again. "I've been great! I wasn't feeling too good a few days ago, but now I feel better!"

"That's good, we were worried about you," Honey murmured, smiling gently. "Fumu told us you weren't feeling well, that's why you weren't in town." She paused, looking at Kirby's wings. "What is that on your back? Are those wings?"

Before Kirby could answer, the kitchen doors opened, revealing chef Kawasaki, holding two plates of food. "One beef stew and a salad, coming through!" He gently set the plates down in front of Iro and Honey before looking over at Kirby and Meta Knight. "Why if it isn't Sir Meta Knight himself! And Kirby! I haven't seen you in and few days, how are you?" He made his way to their table and smiled wide at them.

"I'm doing great, sir!" Kirby replied, his wings quivering a bit in excitement as he stood in his seat. "I'm starving!"

"Mind your manners, Kirby," Meta Knight chuckled a bit at Kirby's behavior.

"Oh. Right." The teen quickly sat back down, still grinning as he looked up at Kawasaki. "Did you add what I recommended to that super spicy curry recipe you were working on last time I was here?"

"Why, yes I have! I think I finally got that recipe ready to put on the menu, in fact! Would you like to try it?"

"Yes, please!" Kirby pawed at the table in anticipation. He had a lot of built-up energy from resting for a few days, it seemed.

"Isn't someone eager! Coming right up!" Kawasaki then looked over at Meta Knight. "What would you like, sir?"

"I'll just have some ramen, thank you," the knight responded politely.

"Alright, super spicy curry and ramen! I'll be back shortly!"

As Kawasaki went back into the kitchen, Meta Knight smirked at Kirby, his eyes tinting pink in amusement. "Did you get into my stash of candy this morning, son?" He asked quietly so no one would hear except for Kirby. "You've got lots of energy."

"It's because I'm excited, Meta! I'm gonna learn how to fly without my copy ability! I can't wait to learn to do something without any assistance from my powers!"

"Oh, so those _are_ wings?" Iro asked, looking at the limbs up and down. "Those are very cool! You gotta show me when you learn to fly with them!"

"Ooh, I'm sure everyone will want to see you fly, Kirby!" Honey smiled sweetly at the two, taking a small bite from her salad. "I wish I could fly... that'd be a lot of fun, I'd imagine…"

"It is! I can fly with my copy ability, but getting the right stuff for me to fly is hard… but I've got wings now, so I'll be able to fly whenever I want!" Kirby began to bounce in his seat for a moment before forcing himself to calm down. "Okay… enough about me. How have you two been?"

"Oh, just wonderful!" Honey cooed dreamily. "Iro and I are gonna be celebrating our two year anniversary! Can't you believe we've been dating for that long, Iro?"

"Yeah, time sure goes quick, doesn't it?"

 _You have no idea,_ Meta Knight thought in slight amusement.

"We plan to go see my grandmother for her birthday up north soon. She's been so heartbroken since grandfather died… oh…"

"Aw, I'm sorry…" Kirby's smile faded for a moment before returning, albeit lighter than before. "But hey, I'm sure your grandmother will love to see you!"

"Yeah… she sure does love company…" Honey sighed before a faint smile appeared back on her face. "Thank you, Kirby."

Kirby nodded, that smile still plastered on his face as he looked out the window at the sky.

"It is a beautiful day, isn't it?" Meta Knight quietly observed Kirby's happy expression, a faint smile appearing on his own face beneath his mask.

"Yeah." Kirby's wings twitched slightly, it appeared that he was still not used to keeping them folded, and were half open.

"Try to keep your wings folded, Kirby."

Kirby looked back at his mentor and pouted, trying to listen to his mentor, but failing. "It's harder than it looks…"

Meta Knight smirked a bit. Seeing his student struggle made him remember when he had first gotten his own wings, and how he struggled to get them to do as he wanted, as well. However, as his eyes turned green in deep thought, some darker memories of his wings began to take place of the amusing ones, so he pushed them away silently. There wasn't any need to think of such things.

"Meta? You okay?"

Meta Knight looked up at Kirby, his eyes fading back to yellow. "Mmh… I'm fine, Kirby. Just thinking."

"About what?"

"Nothing of importance."

Kirby pouted, but didn't respond. He had gotten used to his mentor being a little more open about things, so being denied of an answer stung a bit. Regardless, however, the pout faded when Kawasaki returned with their food just moments after.

* * *

When Kirby and Meta Knight left the restaurant, they were almost immediately greeted by Fumu, who had her class of little kids of various species behind her.

"Hey, Fumu!" Kirby waved happily at his friend, smiling even more than he already had been, if that were possible.

"Greetings, Fumu," Meta Knight nodded politely, making sure none of his cape was hanging out for the kids to mess with.

"Looks like we passed by at just the right time! Hi, Kirby and Sir Meta Knight!" Fumu had her hair tied up in a bun and had her reading glasses on today, something that she did while she taught her students during some days. "We were just getting some fresh air."

The kids behind Fumu were looking at Kirby; or rather, his wings that were messily folded against his back, and Meta Knight with big, curious eyes.

"What is that on Kirby's back?"

"Is it a copy ability? Is there a monster around?"

"Is that really Sir Meta Knight?"

Kirby grinned happily, unfolding his wings to show the kids. "It's not a copy ability, they're wings! Real wings!"

"Ooh, they're pretty!"

"I've never seen wings like those before…!"

As the kids flooded around Kirby to see his wings, Fumu stood aside with Meta Knight, whose eyes were a deep green in thought. "Is something on your mind, Meta Knight?" Fumu asked lowly, so only he could hear.

Meta Knight looked up at Fumu, scanning her up and down for a moment before looking back at Kirby, who was wincing as one kid gently pulled at one of his wings. "Nothing that is of concern, Fumu," he responded dryly.

The blonde rose an eyebrow, crossing her arms loosely. "Is it about Kirby?"

"...Perhaps, but it isn't anything that should concern you."

Fumu nodded and accepted that answer. "Xaden, don't pull on Kirby's wings, please!" She called out to one Cappy boy, who immediately let go of Kirby's wings, a single white feather in his hands.

Kirby sighed in relief, folding his wings back up. "Yeah, please don't do that… I'm gonna need all my feathers to fly!"

" _Fly?_ With those puny things?"

Kirby cringed at the familiar, taunting voice of the small yellow bird Tokkori, who fluttered over to the scene.

The bird landed on top of Kirby's head, scanning the white appendages on his back up and down before speaking again. "You couldn't fly with those pathetic things! Have you even looked at 'em?"

Kirby swatted Tokkori off his head, pouting in irritation. "Of course I have! And I know I can't fly, not yet at least! I gotta give my wings time to grow."

"Just growing isn't gonna get you off the ground, pipsqueak." Tokkori landed on the ground in front of the teen. "Ya gotta have all your feathers for that, and you are missing a _whole lot_ of them!"

"No I'm not! They're just not done growing yet!"

"Lay off, Tokkori." Fumu's stern voice seemed to make the bird tense up, his yellow feathers ruffling in surprise. "Kirby's wings are just fine the way they are."

Tokkori huffed, getting back up in the air with a single flap of his wings. "Are you sure about that? Are you sure you can get off the ground?"

"Of course I will! Meta said I would, and I believe him!" Kirby narrowed his eyes, gritting his fangs angrily.

"Old Metal Head here may not know everything there is to know about wings and how they work, pipsqueak. Keep that in mind. Now, I've got better things to do." With that, Tokkori flew away with an amused cackle.

"Don't listen to him, Kirby," Fumu muttered irritably as she walked up to him. "Tokkori always has been a jerk."

"And always will be," Kirby mumbled. He looked over at Meta Knight, who had stayed silent this whole time. "You said I will fly, and I know I will, too. I just need time… right?"

Meta Knight nodded. "Yes, Kirby. Just give your wings time, and have patience."

As things began to die down, Fumu was gathering all her students back up to go back to class. Before Kirby was about to go back with Meta Knight to the castle, he felt a small hand tug at his left wing gently. He looked down, and his frown almost immediately faded as he recognized the familiar face. "Hey, Lily!"

Lily, a small Cappy girl, looked up at him with big eyes. "Are those really your wings…?" Her voice was small and quiet.

"Yes, they are! They're cool, aren't they?" He paused when Lily coughed, making him frown in concern. "...Is your mother nearby? Maybe you should go back inside, it's a little chilly."

Kirby loved children; that was a given for someone with as big of a heart as him. This one child in particular, Lily, always seemed to catch his attention. She was small and frail, being sickly brought that upon the poor child. Ever since that day she was saved by Kirby, she seemed to adore him more and more each day.

"O-okay… I'm going to the doctor today…" She shivered a bit, seeming to be nervous about it.

"I'm sure it'll go great, Lily. There's no need to be scared." He gently pat her on the head, making her giggle a bit. "Now, where's your mother? I'll take you to her before I go back with Meta…"

* * *

"I'm sorry…"

"There isn't a way to save her…?"

"I'm afraid not. You have my condolences…"

She sat, confused, as her mother broke down into tears. Why was mother sad? She's at the doctor's… they said a whole lot of stuff she didn't understand, was that what made mother cry?

She didn't quite understand most of what happened around her, given her age, but she knew deep down that it wasn't good. Why else would mother be sad? Mother was sad a lot, and that made her sad, too. Oh, how she wished she could see mother happy like she was before! Before she got sick… everyone was happy before then, why couldn't they be happy now?

"Lily will have less than a year to live… I'm sorry…"


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: This chapter was a lot easier to write then the last two, that's for sure!**

 **I'd also like to apologize for this short chapter. I don't like having shorter chapters as it makes me feel like I'm slacking or not putting enough effort into my work, but trust me, I've been spending hours trying to get this chapter over 2k words. I'll try my best to make longer chapters from here on out!**

* * *

The bright morning sun filtered through the half closed curtains, lighting up the hospital room in its warm rays. Lily sat in her bed, trying not to listen to the various beeps of the machines around her. She shifted her gaze to her visitor, a faint smile appearing on her once saddened face.

"You… you'll see the cherry blossoms with me…?"

"Of course I will, Lily…" Her guest smiled brightly, his azure eyes seeming to twinkle in the morning sun. "I'm sure you'd love to see them, they're beautiful. I know the exact time that they bloom, so you will definitely see them when they do!"

Lily's smile widened just a little, which seemed to make the rather dull room all the more brighter. "You promise?"

"You have my word. A Star Warrior never lies."

* * *

 _A Star Warrior never lies._

 _He was taught those words by Sir Meta Knight himself. It was one of the first full sentences he was able to speak without stuttering or saying 'poyo'. He was taught from a very young age what it took to be a true Star Warrior, and a knight of virtue._

 _He was able to completely understand as early as the age of five what being a Star Warrior meant. Throughout childhood, those words etched into his mind, and he would remember them._

 _As he grew older and the world had begun to make more sense around him, those words never left him. Lying would spread nothing but strife and discord, so Kirby vowed that he would never lie, for it was his duty as a Star Warrior to bring light upon those he protected, rather than ill intent and darkness. He vowed to never let any kind of darkness consume him, and that vow would forever be held true, so long as he held the correct state of mind. He just had to remember those words..._

 _A Star Warrior never lies…_

* * *

Five months had passed since Kirby's Winging. As expected, his wings had grown stronger and were as beautiful as ever, with the snow white feathers growing strong and healthy. Kirby did his best to make sure his wings were fully prepared for flight once the winter was drawing to a close.

However, as the days dragged on…

"Hnnff… hah…!" Kirby, for perhaps the hundredth time that day, jumped in the air, his small wings flapping furiously as he tried to fly. "I… I can do this, I know I can…!"

Meta Knight frowned and sighed silently, watching his student fall on his face, once again. "Are you angling your wings in the correct position like I taught you?" He asked as the teen slowly got back up to his feet.

Kirby nodded, panting heavily. His face was scraped up and covered in dirt from the ground. "Yeah, I'm doing everything you told me to, Meta! Why isn't it working…?"

"Perhaps you need more time for your wings to grow."

"You've been saying that for two months! Shouldn't they be done growing by now? I haven't noticed them growing at all for a while…"

Meta Knight didn't respond to that. "Try again. I assure you that you'll get it right eventually."

Kirby let out an exasperated groan. "Fine… I really wanna fly…"

Kirby had grown… quite obsessed with his flight practice. One couldn't blame him; it was the teen's dream to fly without the use of his copy ability for a long time. With Fumu busy teaching her students at the school, and Bun studying the ways of the ninja in a far off town for an unspecified length of time, Kirby didn't really have anyone to spend time with other than Meta Knight, and the elder was keen on aiding Kirby in his eventual flight.

"And you will, I promise." Meta Knight closed his eyes and had to bite back his concerns regarding his students wings.

It was true, Kirby's wings were most definitely done growing. However, one thing that never grew in, was the feathers at the base of his wings. The base of his wings were still naked, with those little gray feathers sticking out of the skin like a sore thumb. And even though the wings had grown a little, they were still abnormally small. They flapped harshly against the wind as Kirby tried to get in the air, twisting in the correct angle that Meta Knight had taught him. So, what was Kirby doing wrong?

Absolutely nothing. Kirby's posture and wing position were near perfect, but he just couldn't get off the ground.

 _But why?_ Meta Knight asked himself, scanning Kirby's ruffled wings once again. As the months dragged on, Meta Knight had come to notice many things wrong with his student's wings; the missing feathers, the smaller-than-normal size, but worst yet, they had grown in slightly twisted. The twisting wasn't obvious to the naked eye, but Meta Knight could easily tell, especially when Kirby attempted to fold his wings. Due to the twisting, it was one of the main reasons he couldn't fold them completely, and perhaps, it was why he couldn't get off the ground.

These were concerns that should have been discussed with his student long ago, but the elder couldn't find it within himself to. He had made a promise to his student, and he had no intentions to break it.

 _But… how am I supposed to share my concerns with him? I couldn't bear to put any more stress on him, especially given how hard he's worked…_

Meta Knight knew fully well he had to tell Kirby of his concerns at some point in time, but that time was not now. The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt his student. _I made a promise to Kirby, and I have no intent on breaking it._

"Sir Meta Knight!"

The knight looked up, seeing his squires, Sword and Blade, walking up to him and saluting. "Greetings, Sword and Blade."

"We were just heading out to our border patrol by the king's orders," Sword said after lowering his hand. "We just wanted to see how Kirby's training was going before we set off."

"Has he gotten off the ground, yet?" Blade asked.

"Unfortunately not, though I have hopes that he will at some point." Meta Knight glanced over at Kirby as the child stood on one foot, raising his arms in the air and flapping his wings wildly.

"I-I've almost got it, I know it!" Kirby called to the three, panting heavily as his wings drooped to the ground in exhaustion after a few moments of vigorous flapping.

"Kirby, perhaps you should take a break," Meta Knight suggested gently, getting up from his sitting position with a small grunt. He wrapped himself in his cape as Kirby's face twisted in frustration.

"But…"

"Yeah, how about you go on patrol with us? It'll probably do your wings good to have a break," Sword offered.

Kirby shook his head and closed his tired eyes, messily half-folding his wings back up. "I-I appreciate your offer, but-"

"Kirby, you need a break." Meta Knight gazed carefully at his student and frowned, taking note of how tired he was. It was obvious that Kirby was losing sleep in his attempts to fly. "Perhaps patrolling with Sword and Blade would be what's best for you."

"We'll be passing by Whispy Woods, I'm sure he wouldn't mind you having some apples," Blade chuckled a bit. "I wouldn't mind having one or two, myself…"

Kirby pouted, his wings twitching as a rather harsh breeze blew past. "But I…" he paused, shifting his gaze towards the ground before sighing in defeat. "Fine. But I'm going right back to this when I come back."

Meta Knight hesitated, narrowing his eyes for a moment before nodding. "Very well. Run along, now."

Kirby blinked, confused about his mentor's hesitation. Before he could ask about it,however, Meta Knight turned and began to walk away. Sighing gently, Kirby made sure his wings weren't sticking out anywhere before following Sword and Blade down the hill.

It was probably nothing, Kirby assured himself. His mentor probably had other things on his mind… but what?

Kirby decided not to let his mysterious mentor stick in his mind. Instead, as he walked along the road towards Pupu Village, he began to think of what he could do to assist in his flight when he came back from the border patrol.

* * *

"What did you see?" Chief Borun asked once again.

It had been just like any other night, he was getting ready to lock up the office and go to sleep, but then the one inmate, Doron, came running to him, screaming in fear. The officer was now trying to get all the information he could out of the terrified Cappy.

"You say it was… something dark?"

"Uh huh," the lowly criminal Cappy nodded his head, staring down at the floor. His body was still slightly shaken up from the ordeal.

"Did it look like anyone in the town? Did it have a face you could recognize?"

Doron shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment before responding. "It felt… it felt like I was being stared at… it was scary!"

"I'll ask again, Doron. Did it have a face?" Chief Borun was growing impatient. If there was someone, or something causing havoc in his town, he had to know what to look for!

"...it had one thing I remember, s-sir," Doron mumbled, fumbling with his hands.

"Well? What was it?"

"I-it… it had a single eye, sir… that's all I remember."

Chief Borun sighed tiredly, nodding his head. "We'll investigate this first thing in the morning. Whatever it was you saw, we won't let it get away that easily." He got up from his chair with a low grunt. The years were definitely starting to catch up on him, that was for sure... "Now, let's get you back to your cell. If it's gone, you should be fine. Try to rest easy..."

* * *

"Come on… come on…"

Kirby slowly spread his wings once again, angling them in the correct position that Meta Knight had taught him. It had to work! Surely he was doing everything correct! The teen made sure he was perfectly balanced on the tree branch he was standing on before jumping off of it, flapping his wings trying to gain altitude.

However, once again it failed, and Kirby was sent plummeting to the ground.

"Argh!" Kirby landed on the ground with a rather painful thud, bouncing slightly against the ground before going limp with a frustrated, exhausted groan.

Why couldn't he get off the damned ground?! Kirby didn't understand. He was doing everything Meta Knight had taught him, so why wasn't it working?!

Was Meta Knight keeping something important about his flight hidden?

Kirby lifted his head at that thought, juggling it around his mind for a few moments before eventually dismissing it. Meta Knight wasn't one to keep things like that secret. Why would he? If Meta Knight wanted him to fly, he wouldn't keep anything from him. He had true faith in his mentor. With his help, Kirby knew he would eventually get off the ground. With a small sigh, Kirby got back to his feet to try again. He would stay up all night if he had to! He was going to get off the ground if it was the last thing he did!

Unbeknownst to the teen, his mentor was watching in the distance.

 _I knew he was staying up during the night to practice,_ the knight thought, tightening his grip on his cape.

Meta Knight was thoroughly impressed by Kirby's determination. His student was working to the bone trying to get off the ground. His efforts were admirable, to say the least.

However; Meta Knight had a feeling, deep down, that those efforts were in vain.

Kirby's wings, despite the healthy feathers growing out of them, there was clearly something wrong with them. As clear as it was to Meta Knight, Kirby was blissfully unaware of such issues. He loved his wings; he took good care of them, and it showed. Though the feathers were by now dusty from all the dirt he had thrown up by falling to the ground countless times, they still faintly shone in the pale moonlight that fell upon them. They were beautiful… from a distance.

Meta Knight feared the worst when he looked at Kirby's wings _. If the damage is as severe as I'm afraid of… Kirby will never fly. His efforts will be fruitless. But how am I supposed to tell him…?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: Ahhh I'm so sorry I didn't get this out sooner! I've been searching for work and preparing myself for adult things, I haven't had much time to write! I'm hoping I can get the ball rolling soon!**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! I hope it was worth the wait!**

* * *

Kirby slowly opened his eyes as the mid-morning sun peeked through his window's curtains and onto his exhausted face.

With a small grunt, the teen shifted and pulled his blanket over his head, burying his face into the pillows. His wings, however, seemed to have minds of their own. They suddenly snapped open, the bottom half of his blanket flying upwards and folding onto his head, leaving his feet and lower body exposed to the cool air.

Kirby moaned in irritation, attempting to fold his wings back up, and failing. It didn't seem like they could fold at all, anymore… and that annoyed him to no end.

As he silently moped, he tossed around ideas in his head on how he could possibly get off the ground today. He had tried literally everything there was to try! Despite that, however, Kirby had no plans on giving up.

 _Maybe I just need more time… Meta's right. My wings may not be strong enough yet…_

Kirby sighed and rolled onto his back, his wings sprawling out behind him as he stretched. It was about time he got up, anyhow. Learning to fly was more important to him than sleep. He had gotten a couple hours of sleep, and that was enough.

Even though he wouldn't say it, his overnight flight practice was starting to catch up to him after a few weeks. He found himself dozing off when he didn't intent to, such as during Fumu's occasional speaking lesson. Fumu insisted that he get more rest, but he didn't want to! All he wanted was to get off the ground, even once was enough! To feel the wind in his face during flight, oh how he longed for that feeling! And he wouldn't stop until it happened.

After a few more moments of laying down and staring and the ceiling, Kirby decided to get up. He hastily smoothed down his messed up blanket before leaving his home. He glanced at the cherry tree that was a few feet away from his home. The blossoms hadn't come yet, but he knew they would within a month or two. At the thought of the blossoms, Kirby thought of Lily and frowned slightly. He knew that the young girl was going to pass away any month now… and that saddened him. He loved all the Cappy children, but Lily… her optimism and bright smiles helped brighten his days, especially lately, given he still couldn't fly. He dared to say that he loved that small child, like a father or a brother she didn't have.

Today, however, he couldn't visit her. She was undergoing a small surgery to try and help heal something… growing inside of her. What it was, he didn't know, and he wasn't too keen on finding out. Surgery and illness, to say the least, _scared_ him.

So instead, Kirby decided to take a small stroll around town before meeting up with Meta Knight for his training.

* * *

As it was early in the afternoon, the villagers were out and about, filling the streets with their laughter and gossip. Kirby picked up two Cappies talking about the cherry blossom festival and what they hoped to bring to it when it came.

Kirby frowned a bit at the thought of the festival. Normally he would be over the moon in excitement for the yearly festivities revolving around one of his favorite things, but… would Lily live to see the festivities? The thought of the young girl lowered his mood even more than it already had been.

"Hey, Kirby!" Kirby looked up when he heard someone greeting him. It was Chief Borun, the village's one and only officer. The officer seemed to be on the watch for something, but what it was, Kirby didn't know, and frankly he didn't care too much either at the moment.

"Oh, uh… hi, Chief," Kirby murmured, not really in the mood to socialize. "You seem busy today."

"Yeah, we had a small scare last night in the office, I've been searching the town for what Doron described to me."

Kirby rose an invisible eyebrow, lifting his gaze from his feet. "You mean there's something bad out there? Did Doron get hurt?"

"No, Doron is fine," Borun responded with a grunt. "He said he saw some dark shadowy thing, said it had a single eye or something…" he sighed and scratched his mustache in frustration. "I feel he was just spooked by some critter, but it still unnerved me. Did you happen to see anything like that before, Kirby?"

The teen shook his head. "No, nothing out of the ordinary, sir."

"Ah. Bummer. Well, let me know if you do find anything, young man! Any sort of shady character isn't going to get away from Chief Borun-!" he groaned and broke into a coughing fit, much to Kirby's surprise. He was about to go to the elder's aid but he was stopped by a hand. "Don't worry, boy, I'm fine." Borun cleared his throat and straightened himself back up. "I've just gotta tone it down a notch. My lungs aren't what they used to be…"

"Okay, if you're sure…" Kirby frowned. It seemed like those around him were growing older and older by the day, while he didn't feel too much older himself. Meta Knight had told him it was because their species lived much longer lives than most others… it was strange, really, and quite sad to think about.

 _I need to get my head out of the gutter. Being sad isn't going to help anything…_

Kirby strolled around town for a little while longer, gently mingling with the villagers before he decided it was time to get going. Meta Knight said he had something important to review today. What it was, Kirby wasn't sure, but he was still interested. Did it have to do with him learning to fly?

* * *

" _Meditation?"_ Kirby was quite disappointed in what it was he was reviewing today. "But I-"

"Kirby, you've spent the past two months training to fly, and especially lately, it's been very rigorous. You need to spend a day relaxing, do you understand?" Meta Knight knew that Kirby was pushing himself way past the normal limits of training. It was a good time to intervene before Kirby got himself hurt.

"Meta, you don't understand! I-"

"I understand quite clearly that you wish to fly. However, you have been pushing yourself way too hard lately. You'll sooner damage your wings beyond repair than get off the ground."

"But I-"

"Let me finish." Meta Knight sharply glared at his student, making the teen immediately shut his mouth in a pout. "Kirby, I've seen you up during the late night hours trying to fly. The amount of pressure you're putting on your wings and yourself is, to put it lightly, _unacceptable._ You _will_ be taking a break today, and you _will_ be easier on yourself, do I make myself clear?"

Kirby's pout faded under his mentor's impatient glare, his tired gaze shifting downwards in defeat. "...Fine…"

"Good." Meta Knight's gaze softened a little. "Kirby, I just don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I… I know…" Kirby stared at his feet, closing his eyes tiredly. "I just…" He sighed, deciding not to finish his sentence.

"Sit down, Kirby." Meta Knight gently ordered, getting himself settled on the ground. He gently pat the grass in front of him, making the teen sigh in defeat and plop down on the ground. "Thank you. Now, we haven't touched upon meditation in a long time, but I will remind you that it is a very important exercise."

Kirby slowly nodded, his tired gaze staying fixated on the ground. He just wanted to get this over with… Or perhaps he should pay attention? He wasn't sure what he wanted, other than to get off the ground.

"I want you to close your eyes…" Meta Knight soothed softly.

Kirby nodded again, his tired eyes slowly drifting shut as his mentor gently soothed him into meditation. The process was quick; and the longer he sat trying to clear his mind, the faster his consciousness was fading. His wings began to feel immensely heavy, and the small feathered limbs went limp at his sides. Before he could even think about fighting it, he found himself falling forward and landing face first into the cool, soft grass, his tired body and mind finally giving in as he fell asleep.

Meta Knight wasn't surprised when his student fell asleep, sighing gently as the young teen laid face-first on the grass. He knew Kirby was tired, but he also knew how stubborn he was, refusing to sleep until he took to the skies…

 _If I hadn't intervened, Kirby would never have slept again…_

Meta Knight felt that familiar ache in his heart as he stared at his student's wings, which laid limp at his sides. Each day they seemed to grow slightly more twisted than the last, which in turn made the knight lose more and more hope for his student's success in flying. What was Kirby going to do, when he found out that his wings were no better than worthless?

Kirby will be devastated… that wasn't even a statement that needed a confirmation. Meta Knight knew he needed to tell the child at some point, but he couldn't bring himself to. However, he also knew that Kirby would hurt himself more than he already had if he kept his lips sealed. It was a double-edged sword; no matter which way way he swung, Kirby would get hurt. He just couldn't bring himself to decide which way to swing.

The elder shook his head, standing back up with a grunt and gently lifting Kirby into his arms. The child barely stirred in his grasp, mumbling softly as Meta Knight slowly made his way to Kirby's small dome home.

Without a sound, Meta Knight entered the house, frowning at the messy interior. Kirby was usually much more neat, seeing his bed unmade and feather pins scattered about the floor concerned the knight. Regardless of these concerns, Meta Knight gently placed Kirby onto his bed, covering him up in his blanket. The child stirred slightly, inhaling sharply as he adjusted himself before going completely still once more, his soft breaths filling the quiet room.

Meta Knight was relieved that his student stayed asleep, backing away from the bed slowly before making his way out of the house, closing the door gently behind him.

It was then that he decided, he would tell Kirby about his wings as soon as the child was well enough rested. Kirby needed to know this predicament, he wouldn't hold it back any longer.

* * *

 _Kirby found himself floating, drifting in his dreamscape, alone. His eyes slowly drifted open, recognizing his dreaming nearly right away._

I fell asleep…? When did I do that?

 _"Kir… by…"_

 _The foreign voice startled him, and he immediately straightened himself up and tenses heavily. "W-who's there?" He asked nervously, unsure how to react to the foreign voice inside his head, in his dream…_

 _This_ was _a dream, right…?_

 _"Kirby… I finally found you…"_

 _"W-what are you talking about? Who are you?"_

 _"It's been so long… I finally found you…" The voice was soft and sweet, it seemed to comfort Kirby in a way he couldn't describe. "I've been searching for so long…"_

 _"Why won't you answer me? Who are you? Why were you searching for me?" Kirby felt slight panic rise in his chest as the soft, beautiful voice chuckled, the harmonious sound gently reverberating across the dreamscape._

 _"I promise the answers will come with time… my son…"_

* * *

Kirby's eyes shot open, his throat choking up a gasp as he sat up. A few beads of sweat ran down his body as he stared ahead. It took him a few moments to collect himself, realizing he was in his bed, in his home. It was late at night, as moonlight filtered through the curtains and onto his bed.

 _What… what happened…?_ The teen wiped the sweat from his brow, straightening his wings before folding them against his back to the best of his ability. _I was… dreaming… and I heard a voice. Who's voice was it? They said… what did they say…?_

Kirby shook his head, trying to shake the scattered thoughts out of his head. _It was just a dream. Don't think too hard on it, Kirby..._

Despite him attempting to reassure himself, Kirby couldn't shake the thoughts away. The voice sounded so familiar to him, and yet it also felt foreign, so far away…

Eventually, Kirby found his eyes drooping once more, exhaustion wracking at his body, begging for him to go back to sleep. And for once, Kirby chose not to fight it. He slowly laid back down, staring out the window with half-closed eyes. Perhaps getting some sleep was needed, he didn't want any more dreams of hearing voices in his head, it made him feel like he was crazy.

 _I'm not crazy… right…?_

* * *

 _Popstar… it's just as beautiful as I was told._

He sighed, staring at the large, yellow star-shaped planet with slight remorse. Of all planets that was being infested with Dark Matter, why was it this one? It was strange, to say the least. Dark Matter only gather where there is negative emotion, and according to his readings, Popstar was one of of the most peaceful, happy planets out there, next to Ripplestar. Why would it come here?

He shook his head and grabbed the mic connecting him to his home base. "Hey, I've made it to my destination."

"It's about time you got there! You should have been there sooner, the Dark Matter is spreading like wildfire down there!" an annoyed voice came out of the mic, making him cringe and pull it away for a moment.

"My apologies sir," he grumbled, rolling his eyes. "I'll be sure to clean this place up quickly."

"You'd better! We cannot afford to have Dark Matter tainting the important lives down there!"

"You have nothing to worry about, sir. No Dark Matter will escape my grasp."

"I sure hope you're right! Be sure to keep me updated on the planet's status!" with that, the radio cut off, leaving him in silence.

He sighed, stretching out his arms before turning back to the ship's main control pad, turning on the invisibility cloak and making his way towards the surface of the planet. He hoped that this planet wasn't as badly infected as his commander made it seem.

Without a sound, his ship slowly landed onto the ground, hidden by the trees of a forest. After a few moments of waiting for his ship to shut down, he unlatched the door and opened it, greatly relieved to breathe in the cooler, fresh air once he stepped out.

It was night; Popstar's moon shining brightly and filtering through the trees and onto his form. His lavender feathers and platinum armor seemed to glisten in the moonlight as he made his way out of the forest, met with the ocean's calming waves in the distance. He could see a castle far in the distance atop a cliff, casting a shadow over the moon. So far, not a sign of Dark Matter was to be seen…

He narrowed his eyes, watching the scenery for only a few moments longer before unfurling his massive wings and taking to the skies. _Wherever it is… the Dark Matter better prepare for the wrath of Galacta Knight!_


	8. Chapter 8

The shadow scared her at first.

 _Do not be afraid,_ it told her, a voice cold as ice, and yet so warm and welcoming. _I am your friend. I know you've been lonely… I wish to help you…_

She had glanced around the hospital room warily, staring at the shadow looming over her bed covers. It looked like her own shadow… how come it hadn't ever tried to talk to her before now? "You… you'll really be my friend?" She asked, her voice small and raspy from exhaustion.

 _Of course,_ her shadow replied. _I love making new friends, it's the best feeling in the world, is it not…?_

"I… I don't really have any friends…" She murmured, frowning and looking down at her hands, at the strange tube connected to her wrist. "Except Kirby, he's really nice to me…"

 _Kirby… I've heard of him…_ the shadow made a strange sound, like a giggle. _Do you think he'd be my friend, too?_

"Oh, definitely! He loves making friends! I'm sure he'd like you, too!"

 _Mmh… maybe another time I can meet him. He's the hero of Dreamland, he may be busy with other things…_

Before Lily could question the shadow, it seemed to suddenly vanish as the door to the room she was in opened, revealing her mother, who gave her a concerned look.

"Who were you talking to, honey…?" She asked with a frown.

Lily blinked, shifting her gaze back down to where the shadow once was. "No one, mommy…"

* * *

"Kirby, what did I tell you earlier today?" Meta Knight was quite disappointed in his student, seeing him attempt to fly yet again, despite telling him not to. "I asked you to practice your meditation today, not jump from more trees."

Kirby scowled at his mentor, not at all in the mood to be scolded. He was so close! He could almost taste the sky above him! "I _did_ meditate, Meta! You never told me to do it more than once!" the child began climbing the tree again, spreading his twisted wings once he was up high enough. A strong breeze blew past, ruffling his feathers and the branches of the tree. The wind would surely help!

"Kirby, you are climbing much too high into that tree, you could get yourself hurt," Meta Knight warned.

"I've done this a bunch of times, Meta! It's going to work eventually, I know it!"

Meta Knight had to bite his tongue to prevent any words about Kirby's wings to come out. Despite telling himself to tell Kirby about his… predicament, he still couldn't bring himself to.

Kirby stared ahead at the ocean, the sparkling blue waves rippling under the shining sun as the ocean breeze blew past. He needed to jump higher, fall from a greater distance… perhaps that's what has been stopping him from flying…! "Meta, I think I know why I haven't been able to fly!" he looked back down at his mentor, his exhausted face suddenly brightening up and his eyes sparkling.

Meta Knight was going to question his student, but he stayed silent, narrowing his eyes slightly as Kirby climbed back down from the tree. From Kirby's huffing and the scrapes adorning his torso, Meta Knight knew that Kirby was pushing himself past the limit.

Kirby excitedly ran towards one of the many cliffs leading to the ocean a little ways away, the breeze growing stronger the closer he got to the ocean. This had to work! It just had to!

Meta Knight felt his heart drop to his stomach when he realized what Kirby was planning. "Kirby!" he shouted, unwrapping himself from his cape and running after Kirby.

The child didn't seem to hear Meta Knight, stopping at the edge of the cliff and watching the violently crashing waves far, far below. Surely, this was high enough…? He spread his wings, preparing himself to jump.

"Kirby, _**stop!**_ " Meta Knight cried out, his voice nearly getting drowned out by the wind and waves. Without much more thought, the elder tossed his cape aside, his large, bat-like wings unfurling from seemingly nowhere on his back.

Kirby jumped.

The wind was rushing in his face, whipping against it harshly enough for Kirby to shut his eyes tightly. He angled his wings in the correct position, he could feel the sea breeze ruffling his feathers violently. Much too violently. He winced as feathers were yanked from the twisted limbs, flying upwards as he plummeted downwards, his heart following suit.

 _I'm not flying… I'm_ _ **falling!**_

He wanted to scream, but his voice was caught in his throat, along with his breath. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. His wings fell limp as he fell further and further…

Meta Knight didn't hesitate to jump off after his student; unlike him, however, he was able to control his wings and angle them so that he was diving down. However, before he could grab hold of his student, a large blur rushed past, grabbing Kirby and soaring back upwards towards the ground.

Meta Knight immediately flapped his wings, his body wobbling slightly from the harsh wind as he regained balance. He looked upwards, seeing a few stray feathers fluttering around him. They weren't Kirby's, though. They were… _lavender._

Kirby was trembling violently in the strong arms that caught him, his breath caught in his throat as he stared up at the sky. He wasn't able to… he wasn't able to fly…

"Breathe, child. Breathe for me," a deep, powerful yet gentle voice quietly urged him.

He attempted to inhale, but he wasn't able to get much air into his lungs before he let out a dry sob, the sky above him spinning as his vision wavered from the lack of oxygen. Why… why couldn't he fly…?

Meta Knight landed on the ground, quickly folding his wings behind his back as he made his way over towards the man who saved his student. However, when he was just a little ways away from them, he let out a small gasp, stopping in his tracks.

He was the same species as he and Kirby, though he was larger than both of them. He was clad in platinum armor, two golden horns protruding from the top of his head, and a pair of huge, lavender-feathered wings that were so large, the feathers from the tips were dragging on the ground.

Meta Knight knew this man.

The larger puff was gently soothing Kirby, who was trembling violently in his arms and letting out feeble sobs. As Meta Knight drew closer, he shifted his crimson gaze upwards, and they widened in shock when they made eye contact with Meta Knight's.

"Wh… Meta, is that…?"

Meta Knight narrowed his eyes a bit and nodded. "Galacta?"

Galacta Knight's eyes brightened, his smile was nearly visible beneath his mask. "Meta! It really is you! I-"

"I… I-I couldn't…" Kirby let out another sob, immediately drawing both the elders attention to him.

Meta Knight was furious; both at Kirby for his blind stupidity, and at Galacta. _How dare he not let me know he was at least alive all these years?!_ His eyes flashed red for a brief moment, which caught the attention of Galacta.

"Meta, we can talk about this later, we should be worrying about this little one," Galacta murmured, looking back down at Kirby.

Meta Knight sighed and nodded, pushing his anger aside. His anger would have to wait.

Calming Kirby down took a while; the child was incredibly shaken up from his stunt, exhaustion wracking at his body. Eventually, however, Kirby managed to calm down.

"Now…" Galacta let out a sigh, narrowing his eyes at the child, who was now sitting down on the grass and staring at his feet. "What were you doing, young one?"

Kirby didn't answer, his eyes half closed as he looked to the side.

"Were you… trying to end your life? You're awfully young to be thinking such thoughts, are you not?"

Kirby blinked and looked up at Galacta, confusion written all over his face. "N-no… I don't wanna die."

"Then why did you…?"

"I was trying to fly."

Galacta's eyes widened in bewilderment, looking at the child's wings. "With those?"

"With what…? My wings…?"

Galacta frowned slightly, shifting his gaze over to Meta Knight, who was looking away in what appeared to be shame. "...Kirby, was it? Your wings… they're not, oh, how do I even put this…"

"Not what…?"

"You couldn't possibly fly with those wings, not in the size and shape they're in."

Kirby blinked, his face twisting in confusion. "Wh-what? Yes I can! Meta said I could! Meta…" the child slowly looked over at his mentor, his heart sinking as the elder didn't say a word to confirm his statement.

"That solves _that_ problem, then," Galacta crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes at Meta Knight. "Meta, did you lie to Kirby?"

Meta Knight didn't answer, tightening his grip on his cape. His eyes trailed down to the ground and narrowed.

"M-Meta… you wouldn't lie to me… r-right…?"

Closing his eyes for a moment, Meta Knight inhaled, and then exhaled. He knew this moment was going to come sooner or later, there was no backing out, now. "Kirby," he started, opening his eyes back up to look at his horribly confused student. "Galacta is right."

The color seemed to drain from Kirby's face, his eyes widening and his mouth opening slightly in shock. "Wh… what…?"

"Your wings. There's… something wrong with them. You can't fly with them. I've known for a while now."

Kirby blinked, his legs seeming to give in beneath him as he sat down on the ground, his wings dropping to the grass and a single tear rolling down his face. Words wouldn't form in his throat, so he just stared in shock at his mentor. _Meta… lied to me… I couldn't ever fly… it was all just…_

Meta Knight swallowed thickly, though the growing lump in his throat remained. Watching Kirby's face turn from despair to anger, he braced himself for his students anger.

"How… how could you…?" Kirby breathed out, a few more tears falling from his eyes and dribbling down to the ground. "Y-you… I-I…"

"Kirby, please try to understand, I didn't want to hurt you-"

Kirby cut him off with a breathless chuckle, a trembling smirk forming on his lips. "Hurt me… that's not what you wanted, a-and yet…"

"I believed if we just tried-"

" _Try?!"_ Kirby shouted suddenly, making both him and Galacta tense up. The child hiccupped and looked up at Meta Knight, his cheeks now soaked in tears. "I tried so damn hard, Meta! You filled my head with lies!" He pointed at his mentor with a trembling paw, his breath growing faster and more labored. "What kind of mentor are you?! To lie to me like this?!"

"Do not speak to me in that tone-"

" _Some mentor you are!"_ Kirby stood, his twisted wings puffed and spread wide in anger. "I thought you trusted me! I thought I mattered enough to be told the truth!" his rage began to cool down, his face twisting and breaking as more tears rolled down his cheeks. "I thought… you loved me, Meta… as a son… y-you said that to me before… or was that a lie, too…?" His voice had gone quiet, closing his eyes as his wings fell limp at his sides.

Meta Knight wasn't sure how to answer that. He stepped towards him, hoping to comfort him at the very least. "Kirby…"

Kirby shied away from his touch, closing his eyes tighter. "Don't… don't talk to me, Meta. Just leave me alone…"

"If you would just let me explain…."

"I said _leave me alone!"_ Kirby's voice rose again. "Don't talk to me… ever again." With that, the child turned and ran off, pushing his way past the two masked knights as he dashed down the hill and towards his home.

Meta Knight was about to go after his student, but was stopped by Galacta.

"Meta, leave him be. Give him his space," the larger knight murmured.

Meta Knight closed his eyes and exhaled. Despite his concern for his student and the guilt ripping at his insides, he felt a twinge of anger rise within him. "...After all these years, Galacta… all those unanswered letters…"

Galacta sighed and gave a breathless chuckle, rubbing the vack of his head with his hand. "Yeah... I know you're angry at me, Meta, but please try to understand I did what I had to." The larger knight looked over the cliff, at the sea, which sparkled in the afternoon sun. "We must discuss this later. There are much more urgent things I came here for."

"...What… _are_ you doing here?"

Galacta looked back at Meta Knight, his eyes dimmed solemnly. "You know of… Dark Matter, do you not?"

* * *

Tokkori jumped up in surprise, squawking in alarm as the door to Kirby's home slammed open, jumping out of the bed and fluttering his wings frantically. The small yellow bird saw it was Kirby who slammed open the door, and groaned in annoyance, quickly landing back on the bed.

"Oy, pipsqueak! What in the blue blazes was that for?! Ever heard of knocking before entering?!"

Kirby was breathing heavily, leaving against the door as tears continuously streamed down his face. "Get out, Tokkori," he choked out, hiccuping as he tried to hold himself together. He was ready to break any moment now.

"What?! You can't just come and kick me out!" Tokkori paused, noticing Kirby's broken face and tilting his head. "...Ya okay, kiddo? You don't look so good."

"It's none of your business. Get out."

"I live here too, it is too my business! I'm sure whatever happened isn't something to cry about-"

" _I said get out of my home, damn it!"_ Kirby cried out, his breath shaking as his anger increased.

"Okay, okay, sheesh!" Tokkori knew all too well not to mess with Kirby when he was upset, as the last time he did it, it ended… not so nicely. He sighed and fluttered over to the door, glaring at Kirby. "But at least learn some manners next time!" with that, the small yellow bird flew out of the house, leaving Kirby alone.

The small child closed the door, the house going dim since the curtains were closed. He hiccuped again, fresh tears rolling down his cheeks as he slowly crawled onto his bed. He laid there, staring at the wall.

 _Meta… Meta lied to me this whole time… I could never fly… I could… never…_

 _Was everything he ever told me a lie?_

Kirby let out a soft sob, grasping his pillow desperately as the thought of his mentor, his friend… not actually caring for him… not actually thinking of him as family… not loving him…

 _Why… why didn't he just tell me…?_

Kirby could no longer see past the pools of tears in his eyes, hiccuping one more time before his mental dam broke, and he broke into choked, pitiful sobs.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Yessssss I'm back from the dead! I'm so sorry about the hiatus! I sort of... lost my spark for my love of Kirby for a while. I didn't want to completely drop this story, so I kept it in the back burner for a while before finally picking it back up again.**

 **The chapters will still be slow coming, as I'm not exactly a fast writer, but I'll do my best to post chapters regularly again :)**


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